England expects every man to do his duty

HS2 – High Speed Rail

The Government have decided that in an effort to improve transport links between London and The North, they will build a new high speed rail link – HS2. Initially, £18 billion of taxpayers money will be spent on constructing a link between London Euston and Birmingham, and then the second stage will branch off in a ‘Y’ to Leeds and Manchester. Initial costs were estimated at around £32 billion, but this has spiralled with official estimates now north of £40 billion and The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) claiming that we could be looking at £80 billion of taxpayers money.

It is envisaged that further extensions may be built in future to carry the lines on to Newcastle and then Edinburgh on the east Coast, and Glasgow on the west coast, with a final link between the two major Scottish cities.

This looks like a good idea – What’s the problem?

Building a completely new line will cut a swathe across our countryside, destroy homes and communities, and will not save a massive amount of time over the existing journeys. In our borough, Ickenham and Ruislip will face years of noise, construction traffic and property blight – Harefield will see the line rip through the countryside that has been carefully reconstructed after mineral extraction, with severe impact on the lakes (Including the world famous Savay Lake, home of previous record breaking Carp)

The South of the Borough may also be affected, as the plans still have the option of a Heathrow spur once constructed.

Regular updates will be posted on our website, below are links to further sources of information

Transport Secretary is ‘delusional’ on HS2

If Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin thinks that the General Election result was an endorsement of HS2, then why have the Tories and their 2 MP’s in Hillingdon consistently campaigned on a platform of opposition and not on a pro HS2 ticket? Once again, proof that a Conservative vote in Hillingdon has allowed their party at national level to ram through plans for a rail link that is unnecessary, costly and will destroy parts of our borough. The following story is from The Express & Star….

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin is ‘delusional’ if he thinks the General Election result was an endorsement of the HS2 rail link, a leading UKIP MEP has said.

UKIP MEP Jill Seymour

UKIP’s Transport spokesman Jill Seymour accused the Conservative government of totally ignoring people whose homes stand to be destroyed by the £50 billion high-speed rail link.

It comes after Mr McLoughlin, a former Cannock miner, said the election result was a ‘vote of confidence’ in HS2.

Patrick McLoughlin

Shropshire-based Mrs Seymour said: “Mr McLoughlin is delusional in thinking that winning the general election is down to the support for HS2.

“He totally ignores the valid views of individuals who have already lost value on their properties and left them, in some situations, feeling desperate.

“Nothing has changed these past few weeks. HS2 still has no proven business case, and the eventual cost of the project is anyone’s guess – it seems to go up every week.

“The comments made by Mr McLoughlin prove that the Tory government is still not listening to those affected by this line, and doesn’t care about racking up a debt which will take generations to pay off, and which Britain simply cannot afford.”

Mr McLoughlin said: “The General Election result was a massive vote of confidence in favour of HS2.

“So the argument has been won. HS2 will be built, the full ‘Y’ network, from London to Birmingham and Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds, with construction starting in just two years.

“HS2 will change the transport architecture of the north. But it will also change the economic architecture.”

He also unveiled plans to bring forward work on the Staffordshire stretch of the line by six years.

HS2 is set to cut a 45-mile swathe through the county.

UKIP has always maintained that the HS2 ‘vanity project’ should be scrapped.

Mrs Seymour said: “It is destroying people’s lives and their communities. There are still unanswered questions on plans and costs, and yet it is still moving forward against public wishes. It will only be supporting a minority, at the expense of the majority.

“What passengers want is an affordable, comfortable, reliable and efficient rail network system that delivers from south to north, and east to west. We already have a network in place, but it is desperate for improvement.”